The Coconut Lorikeet(Trichoglossus haematodus) are colourful birds that find us almost all the colours of the Rainbow in their plumage.

Have the front of the crown, face and throat Dark bluish mauve, with violet stripes on the front of the crown, ear-coverts and part low of them cheeks; the rest of the head is dark blue with the bases of feathers brown-black color, especially around the rear of the crown and the throat, and with greenish stripes at the rear of the crown.

The upperparts are of color green brilliant with specks of color reddish in the center of the mantle (bases of feathers), and a collar back yellowish green.

The primaries with the tips blackish; a patch bright yellow in the innerwebs of the flight feather, that tends to orange in the secondaries; outerweb of the primaries and the Wing coverts, green. Underwing-coverts orange-red; - flight feather dark gray in tips.

The Breast
, the upper part of the abdomen and the flanks bright reddish orange top, barred dark blue, tending to green at the bottom of the breast; abdomen with brands of color green in the Center, sometimes forming a discrete patch or interspersed with reddish orange; abdomen and thighs with a beaming green and yellow with bases of color yellow; undertail of color yellow with tips of color green glossy. Upper, the tail of color green with them innerwebs of the lateral feathers yellowish: under, the tail greyish green in the outerweb, yellow in the innerwebs.

The bill orange red: the iris orange-red; legs gray or greenish gray.

Both sexes are very similar.

The immature they are more muted than adults, with the bill and the iris Dark Brown and the tail more pointed.

Sound of the Coconut Lorikeet.

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Description of subspecies of Trichoglossus haematodus

Trichoglossus haematodus caeruleiceps

(Albertis & Salvadori, 1879) – The blue of the head is more pale, Red is orange-red with the lined in very narrow and dark blue. Abdomen Blackish and band of the neck yellow.

Trichoglossus haematodus deplanchii

Similar to the nominal Haematodus, but plumage slightly paler. The head has a very bright blue. Reddish orange on the chest, similar to the Trichoglossus haematodus massena, only that more alive. The abdomen is of color green beige and is extends to the part back from the neck. The thighs and the feathers under the tail yellow and the upper part of the tail olive green.

Trichoglossus haematodus massena

The Coconut Lorikeet (massena) (Trichoglossus haematodus massena) is a variation of the nominal (Trichoglossus Haematodus).

The plumage is similar to the of the Ornate Lory except that it is usually paler. The head is blue, ending at the nape with dark brown feathers interspersed with more Brown clear. The breast is of color reddish with a narrow edging blue dark. In some cases, You can see some areas yellow in the plumage of the breast. The abdomen is green; but can have some type of mark in the part inferior of the abdomen blue-violet.

The eyes are of color orange in the adult and Brown in the youth. The bill is red orange.

Trichoglossus haematodus micropteryx

(Stresemann, 1922) – Somewhat smaller, 25 cm approximately in length. The plumage is something more pale, the breast reddish orange with narrow edging of dark blue. Abdomen dark green. Band of the neck greenish yellow.

Trichoglossus haematodus nesophilus

(Neumann, 1929) – 26 cm approximately. Very similar to the Trichoglossus Haematodus Flavicans but with feathers underneath of the tail are green.

Trichoglossus haematodus nigrogularis

(Gray,GR, 1858) – Something bigger, 28 cm., approximately, length. Is similar to the Trichoglossus Haematodus Caeruliceps, but the blue of the head It is more dark and often have more red feathers on the neck.

Habitat:

The Coconut Lorikeet they are parrots of the Plains and Highlands. They are distributed by a wide variety of habitats such as mangrove forests, Moors and heathland near the coast, wooded meadows, galleries of trees, reforestation during regeneration and rainforests. In all cases, they need places with abundant flowers.

The Coconut Lorikeet they have also colonized habitats formed by man: coconut plantations, orchards and gardens on the outskirts of cities. They mark a greater preference for edges and clearings inside the dense jungles. Gladly tolerate the areas with degraded vegetation and plantations of small size in the small atolls.

They are birds sedentary, that does not prevent to do short trips looking for trees in flower. Because of these movements, populations appear to vary locally. Very gregarious, they live in pairs or in bands that can vary from a few birds to several hundred, Depending on the availability of food resources.

These birds are very active and noisy, flying a bit randomly above the tops of the trees or climbing up the branches in search of flowers or fruits.

During his search for food, the Coconut Lorikeet they often share space with other species of frugivorous. When they are hidden among the leaves, their cries of call reveal their presence.

They adopt a flight very quick and direct. Are monogamous. During courtship, the couple is side-by-side, swaying, the neck forward and the pupil dilated. They wave irregularly wings to reveal the clear band that crosses its sub-wing.

Reproduction:

The breeding season carried out at different times according to the area of distribution. The species nominal eat your Sunset between September and December. Both members of the couple set up their nests in a tree cavity, usually a eucalyptus. Several nests, two or three may be in the same tree, but the entrance of the nest will fiercely defend against any intrusion.

In the the Admiralty Islands, the Coconut Lorikeet Sometimes they nest in the ground. The female normally lays 2 eggs on a bed of wood rotting chips. She incubated alone for a few 25 days.

The young chicks are altricial and need to 8 weeks to fend for if same. As soon as they are autonomous, they bind to the bedrooms and common bands.

Food:

The Coconut Lorikeet they have a bill acute equipped with a language composed of some structures similar to hairs tiny called papilla it help excavate the pollen and the nectar from the flowers. Also eat fruits, berries, seeds, outbreaks and insect larvae.

In Australia, they forage primarily in eucalyptus trees and trees of the genus Banksia, in particular, coastal Banksia(Banksia integrifolia) and the River Banksia (seminuda), trees that often exceed the 15 metres in height. They are also found in farmland, since they are particularly cultivated fruits and seeds Milky enthusiasts. Easily entering gardens to steal fruit and not disdain approaching feeders

Distribution:

Endemics Oceania, at the edge of the Asian continent. Can be found in Australia, in the East of Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, - Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.

In Australia, they are mostly on the coast, to the North of Queensland in the South of Australia and Tasmania.

Trichoglossus haematodus nigrogularis

The species has undergone intense trade: from 1981 When it began trading in CITES Appendix II and through the year 2005, 100.388 individuals were captured in the wild and reported in the international trade.

In some places of Australia, It is hunted for food and feathers are later used in ritual ceremonies

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